Subscribe Login
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Videos
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obits
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Videos
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obits
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
  • Home
  • News
    • International News
  • Latest
  • Business
    • Business Bites
  • Cartoon
  • Games
  • Food Awards
  • Health
  • Entertainment
    • Bookends
  • Regional
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • World Cup
    • World Champs
    • Olympics
  • Videos
  • Career & Education
  • Classifieds
  • All Woman
  • Environment
  • Webinars
  • More
    • Football
    • Elections
    • Letters
    • Advertorial
    • Columns
    • Editorial
    • Supplements
  • Epaper
  • Design Week
Swift River honey business targets expansion over next five years
President of the Swift River Community Development Committee and project manager for Swift River Happy Bee Production, DonnaBurnett, displays honey produced by the community enterprise.
Business
December 29, 2020

Swift River honey business targets expansion over next five years

Swift River Happy Bee Production has set its sights on increasing production from 10 gallons of honey per quarter to 200 gallons and to also employ more people over the next five years.

“We want to create jobs for others so that they can have cash flow to help the social and economic situation in the community,” Project Manager Donna Burnett said.

The micro community enterprise in Portland, operated by the Swift River Community Development Committee (CDC), also has plans to offer other products such as honeycomb, lipstick, honey-sweetened juices, and shampoos while positively impacting the community.

The three-year-old honey business evolved out of a community group that was formed to enhance community life and increase togetherness through social and economic activities.

The group then decided to approach the Social Development Commission (SDC) for assistance.

“They came [to our meeting] and were impressed to see how well we were working on our own and decided to take us up under the umbrella of the SDC,” Burnett said.

From there, the group became involved in activities such as community beautification, Labour Day projects and SDC-organised business fairs, and grew to the level of a CDC under the hierarchy of the local governance framework.

The CDC decided to go a step further in providing an avenue for residents of the small Portland community to earn an income.

With an apiary donated by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Swift River Watershed project, the CDC embarked on the honey production business, which, at its genesis in 2017, engaged up to 29 people.

“USAID had trained us to take care of the bees,” said Burnett, who is also president of the CDC.

“We have a beekeeper from the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) in Port Antonio, who would also come and teach us how. Before they came on stream with us, we, as a group, asked the Rural Agricultural Development Authority to facilitate us by giving us pre-training,” she noted.

Residents were enthusiastic about the venture and generously volunteered their time and effort to get it off the ground.

Through the SDC Local Economic Development Support Programme, the CDC was able to access technical support and grant funding in February this year to grow the business which, by then, had five people regularly employed.

“We recently received a grant of $100,000 and since then we have been able to move up to six persons. It was used towards business expansion and, as a result, we were able to build our capacity by purchasing well-needed gear to assist with the production and harvesting of the honey,” Burnett noted.

She stated that the CDC also received assistance through the SDC in the form of direct support to complete the business model, business plan, and undertake capacity-building training in marketing and financial management.

“This allowed us to refine our processes to eliminate waste and unnecessary steps in the business process,” she said.

Burnett added that through the SDC, the community enterprise was also able to increase the number of bee boxes by eight to the current 23, enabling the entity to double honey production to 10 gallons per quarter.

The business was able to add another bottle size for its honey, which now comes in 500ml and 750ml.

Burnett commended the SDC for its support.

“The SDC has been so good to us. They have been an engine for us to grow our business where the community can benefit. The SDC has helped us navigate the business,” she shares.

Director of local economic development and community projects at the SDC, Avril Ranger commended the Swift River CDC and encouraged other community groups to create viable initiatives for the benefit of residents.

“This is an example of how people can come together in groups to create viable enterprises that will generate employment,” Ranger said. “We want to encourage more CDCs to identify assets that can be transformed into viable enterprises. The SDC stands ready to support the development of community enterprises.”

Workers at Swift River Happy Bee Production extract a frame froma bee box during inspecton of the beehive.

{"website":"website"}{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
0 Comments · Make a comment

ALSO ON JAMAICA OBSERVER

82-year-old dies after beach fight in Greece over sun lounger
International News, Latest News
82-year-old dies after beach fight in Greece over sun lounger
September 20, 2026
ATHENS, Greece (AFP) — An 82-year-old man died Sunday after he got into a fight over a sun lounger on a beach in Greece near Athens, local media repor...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
St Ann Marine Association joins International Coastal Cleanup Day activities
Latest News, News
St Ann Marine Association joins International Coastal Cleanup Day activities
BY KEVIN JACKSON Observer Writer 
September 20, 2026
ST ANN, Jamaica — Guided by its motto, “Protect, Restore, Educate and Engage,” the St Ann Marine Association joined communities across the island in o...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Displaced Cooper’s Pen residents receive humanitarian grants
Latest News, News
Displaced Cooper’s Pen residents receive humanitarian grants
September 20, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government has begun providing relocation assistance to vulnerable residents displaced during the eviction exercise at Cooper’...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
New Discovery Point-to-Mount Boon pipeline improves water supply for St Ann residents
Latest News, News
New Discovery Point-to-Mount Boon pipeline improves water supply for St Ann residents
September 19, 2026
ST JAMES, Jamaica — Residents of Discovery Point, Mount Boon and neighbouring communities in St Ann now have improved access to water through a new 0....
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Norman Manley book spot in Manning Cup second round
Latest News, Sports
Norman Manley book spot in Manning Cup second round
September 19, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Norman Manley booked a spot in the second round of the ISSA Manning Cup with a thumping 5-0 win over Kingston Technical High in Zo...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Police report threats against West Kingston cops after alleged gang leader’s death
Latest News, News
Police report threats against West Kingston cops after alleged gang leader’s death
September 19, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Members of the One A Way gang in Denham Town, West Kingston, have reportedly issued threats against several cops stationed in the ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Jehovah’s Witnesses ease blood policy but maintain ban on whole-blood transfusions
International News, Latest News
Jehovah’s Witnesses ease blood policy but maintain ban on whole-blood transfusions
September 19, 2026
Jehovah’s Witnesses have revised their longstanding policy on the medical use of donated blood, allowing members to receive blood-derived products whi...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Brotha George remembers Channel One’s glory days after studio demolition
Entertainment, Latest News
Brotha George remembers Channel One’s glory days after studio demolition
BY HOWARD CAMPBELL Observer senior writer 
September 19, 2026
The demolition of Channel One recording studio in Kingston on September 5 revived memories of its glory days in the 1970s and early 1980s. One of the ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
❮ ❯

Polls

HOUSE RULES

  1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper; email addresses will not be published.
  2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.
  3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.
  4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.
  5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.
  6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.
  7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

Archives

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Tweets

Polls

Recent Posts

Archives

Logo Jamaica Observer
Breaking news from the premier Jamaican newspaper, the Jamaica Observer. Follow Jamaican news online for free and stay informed on what's happening in the Caribbean
Featured Tags
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Health
  • Auto
  • Business
  • Letters
  • Page2
  • Football
Categories
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
Ads
img
Jamaica Observer, © All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • RSS Feeds
  • Feedback
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Code of Conduct